02:33 - VIGJust sayin' I remember nikarg's Sodom review on the front page, that album was like 30 years old

02:27 - ScreamingSteelUSTechnically, Che's Manunkind review was too old to be featured on the front page. That was a special exception; usually, we prefer to keep our reviews within three-to-four months, with six months as an absolute cutoff.

02:14 - VIG@Radu Of course! I don't think it's too old to be featured on the front page. Look at Che's Manunkind review

00:09 - RaduPPublished a review for an album that's a bit too old to be featured on the front page, but you guys will read it, right? [link]

01. We Are Sin02. Pallium Mali03. King Of Egoists04. Into Obscurity05. Thirst For God06. Antichrist [Sepultura cover]07. Storming Heaven08. The Beckoning

Who's up for some fresh, American black metal?

Well, look elsewhere, because this is about as dry as it gets. Storming Heaven really is a fantastic title for this album, though. It's a wise pairing of words that accurately reflect the music: vicious and ambitious in theory, but so cliché and run-of-the-mill it doesn't leave much of an impression. It's black metal you've heard before.

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...Oh, you're still reading? Damn. There's really not a whole lot more to be said about Fornicus. Grab those sharp, yet fuzzy guitar tones from Battles In The North, then pair 'em up with that tangible, straight-forward thrash-riff appeal, and you've got the general idea. When it comes right down to it, there's not a whole lot of downsides to grasp onto, either. Storming Heaven hits all the spots it should, it rarely, if ever, lets down in the ferocity department, but the predictability factor makes this album feel excruciatingly repetitive, even when it's not.

Not to say there isn't fairly decent riffs! There is. They just happen to be beaten to death by the time the end of each song rolls around. With the good quality riffs buried here, Fornicus really could have benefited from a Toxic Holocaust/Skeletonwitch approach; short and sweet. While the initial few seconds of each track are very attractive, they leave you looking at your watch long before the end.

Fornicus have put things together pretty fast: in under two years, they've assembled, recorded a demo, then quickly followed up with their debut full-length. I'd like to think the lack of inspiration behind Storming Heaven comes from the band rushing to get their name out there. Perhaps with this out of the way, they can revisit the drawing board and come up with something a little less flavorless in the future. Fornicus is certainly not a band to discount outright, just yet.